| Weight Management / Blood Sugar Control
What is Obesity?
Obesity is defined as a state of being more than 20% above “normal” weight, or having a body fat percentage greater than 30% for women and 25% percent for men. Another measurement of obesity is having a body mass index greater than 30.
What Causes Obesity?
Theories regarding the underlying causes of obesity are tied to genetics, low brain serotonin levels, impaired diet-induced thermogenesis (heat production), and the inner workings of fat cells. All of these models support the notion that obesity is not just a matter of overeating. They explain why some people can eat large quantities of food without substantially increasing their weight, while for others, just the reverse is true. For example, a certain amount of the food we consume is converted immediately to heat, which is known as diet-induced thermogenesis. Diet-induced thermogenesis is the method by which the body “wastes” calories. There is evidence that the level of diet-induced thermogenesis is what determines whether an individual is likely to be overweight. In lean individuals, a meal may stimulate up to a 40% increase in heat production. In contrast, overweight individuals often display only a 10% or less increase in heat production. The food energy is stored as fat instead of being converted to heat.
What is Hypoglycaemia?
Hypoglycaemia refers to low blood sugar. Normally, the body maintains blood sugar levels within a narrow range through the co-ordinated efforts of several glands and their hormones. If these control mechanisms are disrupted, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes (high blood sugar) may result.
Symptoms of hypoglycaemia can range from mild to severe, including: headache; depression, anxiety, irritability and other psychological disturbances; blurred vision; excessive sweating; mental confusion; incoherent speech; bizarre behaviour; and convulsions.
The standard methods of diagnosing hypoglycaemia, as well as diabetes, involve the measurement of blood glucose levels. The normal fasting blood glucose level is between 70mg/dL and 105mg/dL. A fasting blood glucose measurement greater than 140mg/dL on two separate occasions is diagnostic of diabetes. At levels below 50mg/dL, the diagnosis is fasting hypoglycaemia.
What Causes Hypoglycaemia?
Dietary carbohydrates play a central role in the cause, prevention and treatment of hypoglycaemia. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, are quickly absorbed by the body, resulting in a rapid elevation in blood sugar level, stimulating a corresponding, excessive elevation in serum insulin levels that then can lead to hypoglycaemia.
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